Opposition should exercise constitutional right for rallies

MOSCOW, December 8 (Itar-Tass) —— Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin acknowledged it necessary Thursday to have the dialogue with the oppositionists and give them an opportunity to exercise the constitutional rights for demonstrations.

“As for the street democracy, I have the following attitude towards this: if people act according to the law, they should be granted the right to express their opinion. We should not restrict the rights for anyone,” he said at a meeting of the Federal Coordination Council of the All-Russia Popular Front.

“If someone violates the law, the authorities and the law enforcement agencies should demand the observance of the law in all legal ways,” he added.

Putin noted that all adults realize perfectly well that “some organizers act under the well-known scenario and pursue their corrupt political goals.”

“But we also know that people do not want to develop the situation in our country as in Kyrgyzstan or in the recent past in Ukraine. No one wants chaos,” the prime minister pointed out.

Putin stated that the authorities should maintain the dialogue with the opposition on the basis of a majority of people. “We should maintain the dialogue with those who are in opposition and give them the opportunity to express their opinion, exercising the constitutional rights for demonstrations,” Putin concluded.